The home side are without Jofra Archer following his Indian Premier League commitments, while fellow pace bowler Brydon Carse is recovering from a broken wrist.
Ollie Robinson has been recalled to the England squad for the first time in more than two years and seems likely to take the new ball on a Lord’s pitch that had a green tinge on Tuesday. The weather forecast is for rain for much of the Test.
And 23-year-old Baker’s extra pace could come into contention if the grass is cut from the surface.
“There is a little bit of jeopardy around the conditions and the forecast over the next 48 hours,” said McCullum. “We have a strong understanding of what we think will be our XI, but we do want to have the ability to pivot if required, if the conditions turn out to be slightly different to what we anticipate.
“Sonny Baker is quick. I think he’s going be a cricketer the country really gets behind when he does play. He charges in and he leaves everything out there.
“He’s full noise. He’s exciting. He swings the ball both ways and he’s obviously got the ability to touch 90mph. He’s an exciting proposition, and his time, if it’s not in this Test, his time will come. If it is in this Test, I’d expect him to do a good job.”
England have also confirmed that captain Ben Stokes will swap places in the batting order with wicketkeeper Jamie Smith. Smith has moved up to number six, with Stokes dropping to number seven.
All-rounder Stokes has played 131 of his 216 Test innings at number six, including almost all of his four years as skipper.
But Stokes, who turns 35 on the opening day of the Test, has had diminishing returns with the bat. The left-hander averaged only 18 during the Ashes.
In Smith’s short Test career, the 25-year-old averages 44 at number six compared to 38 at seven.
“We think it’s quite a nice balance of trying to get Jamie Smith more time with the out and out batters, then if Stokesy finds himself operating with the tail he’s got so much experience and he’s batted in those positions frequently,” said McCullum.
“It’s a small tactical shift. It’s something we’ll have a go at and we’ll see where it lands, but everyone is on board with it.”
